Centrifugal machine



5Pt- 26, 1933- ci.- TER' MEER 1,928,341

CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE A Filed July 16. 1931l Patented Sept. 26, 19331,928,341 PATENT OFFICE CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Gustav ter Meer, Munich,Germany, assignor to Albert T. Otto & Sons, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application July 16, 1931, Serial No. 551,081,

and

12 Claims.

This invention relates to centrifugal machines for eliminating one ormore of the constituents of fluid or other substances.

Centrifugal machines are known to work continuously in separating solidsubstances from liquid in such manner, that the automatic discharge ofthe drum is effected by an axial movement of the peripheral wall of thedrum. By this method the peripheral Wall of the drum is drawn over anannular wall, whereby the separated solid substances are thrown over theedge of the drum under the action of the centrifugal' force. For theaxial movement of the peripheral wall of the drum a working cylindercontaining a piston is employed, the piston being under the iniluence ofsome pressure fluid, such as pressure oil, steam, compressed air etc;this fluid acting alternately on either side of the said piston. Thisarrangement may be reversed in such manner, that the said annular Wallis moved axially in relation to the peripheral wall of the drum.

In centrifugal machines of this type thelength I of the workingcylinder, in which the piston, connected rigidly either with theperipheral wall or the discharging wall of the drum i's moved to and froby means of a suitable pressure uid, depends on the length of the drum.In centrifugal machines ofA high capacity the dimensions of the workingcylinder turn out very large and the amount of pressure fluid will becorrespondingly big to work the machine. In .order to deal with andstore such large quantities of pressure iiuid, for instance pressureoil, an extensive oil control plant, such as large efficient pumps,tanks etc. will 4be necessary. Such requirements make the -whole machinemore expensive also the working costs and frequently tend to render theemployment of this class of machines uneconomical.

It is the object of the present invention to remove these drawbacks. Theinvention consists mainly of the fact, that the drum is subdivided inseveral, at least in two separating chambers by the insertion ofcircular division walls, which are arranged in such manner that achamber is interposed betweeneach pair of such walls and it consistsfurther of certain discharge openings or ports, situated in theperipheral wall of the drum and in line with the said interposedchamber, so that the separated solid substances, which are accumulatingin the one separating chamber are thrown out by centrifugal force overthe edge of the drum, whilst those solid substances in the otherseparating chamber or chambers can be discharged through the dischargeopenings or ports. This improvement permits, that the stroke of thepiston in the working cylinder during the emptying or discharging of thedrum needs to be only as long as one single separating chamber instead'of the aggregate length of all the chambers provided in the machine. Asthe quantity of presin Germany July 17, 1930 sure fluid and thedimensions of the working cylinder, the pressure fluid tanks etc. aredefined by the length of the stroke, which is necessary for the axialmovement of the peripheral wall or the dividing walls of the drum, allthese details will therefore be correspondingly smaller and for the samereason also the power consumption. It follows therefore, that acentrifugal machine, which is built to embody this invention, will giveconsiderably better results in comparison with machines of the previousdesign and similar dimensions, from the point of View of rst cost,efliciency, oor space required as Well as of power consumption.

Further features of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription, which is taken. in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, which illustrates a centrifugal machine in accordance with myinvention in a central 'vertical section taken longitudinally.

In this illustration a represents a separating drum rigidly connectedwith the pressure piston b, the drum a being perforated and able torotate on the shaft c and having discharge openings or ports on itscircumference. Within the separating drum is provided a member,consisting of several circular plates or Walls dl, d2, d3 and d4 andbeing cast integral with the working cylinder v, in relation to whichthe peripheral Wall of the drum a can be moved axially. The imperforateplate d1 serves for closing the drum. The perforated circular plates d2and d3, which are covered with slot strainers f, form an interposedspace h, by means of which the separating chambers g1, g2 are keptseparated. During the period of centrifuging this interposed space isopposite the discharge openings d `of the drum as shown in the lowerhalf of the sectional drawing. The material to be treated is supplied tothe two separating chambers gl, g2 by means of the pipe u. In order toprevent any material, which is to be treated, from entering theinterposed space h during the supplying period, this interposed space his closed by means of a hood i in the direction of the drum shaft.During the period of separating the liquid from the solid substances theinterposed space his exactly opposite the discharge openings d of thedrum a as mentioned already. Whilst this condition prevails any liquidescaping laterally from the chambers g1, g2 enters the interposed spaceh and hence ows through the-openings d towards the wall k of the casingunder the influence of the centrifugal force, where it is restrainedbetween the ribs Z. As soon as the liquid has been separated from thesolid substances the peripheral wall a of the drum is moved laterally inrelation to the circular plates dl, d2, d3, d4. The edge of theperipheral Wall a of the drum moves away from the. circular end plateclx and simultaneously the discharge openings d pass along the chamberg2. In this manner the solid substances contained in chamber g1 arethrown over the edge of the peripheral wall of the drum and the solidsubstances in chamber g2 are thrown through the openings d as they passalong the chamber g2. The movement of the peripheral wall of the drum iseffected through the piston b, which works in the cylinder v. The pistonitself is actuated by means of a suitable pressure fluid, for instancepressure oil, which enters the cylinder v alternately in front andbehind the piston through conduits, which are drilled in the shaft c-ofthe centrifugalmachine. The alternate admission and action of thepressure oil is controlled by an automatic change-over valve of knowndesign. The length of stroke of the pressure piston b corresponds withthe length of one separating chamber. v

In order to prevent during the centrifuging process any liquid, whichescapes through the perforated surface of the peripheral wall of thedrum and through theslot strainers thereon, from entering collectingspace m for the dried material, a collecting ring o, tapering towardsboth ends is fitted round the separating chambers g1, g2. Thiscollecting ring is tapered, so that the liquid, which is thrown on it,will run to the trough :c of the drum casing k.

The invention provides further, that no leaking fluid, which may escapefromthe working cylinder v, can enter the spaces where separating is inprogress. For this purpose annular dishes p1, p2 are provided. Theannular dish p1 is fitted to the circular wall d4, whilst the annulardish p2 is fitted to the end plate of the drum. The annular dish p1. hasspringloaded valves q, which open only during the normal position of thedrum, whilst the springs thereon close them during the period ofdischarging. When the drum is closed the second annular dish p2 comes torest in close contact with the dish p1, so that any leaking oil can owthrough the open valves q from dish p1 into dish p2 and hence throughthe openings rin the drum end to the space s of the machine casing. Thespace s is separated by means of the web t from the collecting space m,into which the separating chamber g2 discharges the dried materialthrough the openings d.

It is obvious,that the invention is not restricted to the manner-abovedescribed. Modifications may be made without difficulties. For instance,the axial movement may be imparted to the member carrying the circularwalls d1, d2, d3, d4 in a like manner instead of to the peripheral walla. It is also possible to vemploy in the place of the working cylinderwith piston some other device for the axial movement of the peripheralwall or the ring wall member, be it electrical, pneumatic, mechanical orotherwise.'

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:-

1. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a peripheral wall provided with a dischargeopening intermediate the ends thereof, a plurality of circular wallsencircled by said peripheral wall, means for supporting said circularwalls transversely to the axis of the drum and in spaced relationship toform with said peripheral wall a pair of separating chambers and anintermediate space, and means forA supplying material to be treated tosaid chambers, said circular walls and said peripheral wall beingrelatively axially shiftable to centrifugal separating position, withsaid peripheral Wall forming a closure for the outer peripheries of saidchambers, and with said opening opposite said space or to dischargingposition, with the periphery of one of said chambers uncovered and saiddischarge opening registering with the other chamber.

2. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum open at one end and having a perforated peripheral walland a discharge outlet intermediate the ends of said wall, a pluralityof circular plates, means for supporting said plates within said drum inplanes substantially at right angles to the axis of the latter and inspaced relationship to form a pair of separating chambers and aninterposed space, means for supplying material to be treated to saidchambers, the periphery of said drum during normal centrifugalseparating action forming perforated closures for the outer peripheriesof said chambers, with said outlet opposite said space, and means foreffecting relative axial movement of said plates and said drum touncover the outer periphery of one of said chambers and position thedischarge outlet opposite the other chamber, whereby the separatedsolids from said chambers will be discharged under centrifugal action.

3. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a discharge opening in the periphery, aplurality of circular plates, means for supporting said plates withinsaid drum and in spaced relationship with their outer edges adjacent tosaid drum to form a pair of separating chambers and an interposed space,the plates forming the opposite walls of said space being perforated topermit the passage of liquid therethrough fromthe separating chambers,means for supplying material to be treated to said chambers, theperiphery of said drum during normal centrifugal separating actionforming a closure for the outer peripheries of said chambers, with saidopening registering with said space, and means, for effecting relativeaxial movement of said drum and said plates to uncover the outerperiphery of one of said chambers and position said discharge opening inregistry with the other chamber, whereby theseparated solidsfrom saidchambers will be discharged under centrifugal action.

4. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a peripheral wall provided with a dischargeopening intermediate of the ends thereof, a plurality of plates, meansfor supporting said plates within said drum and transversely withrespect to the axis thereof and in spaced relationship to form a pair ofseparating chambers and an intermediate space, said peripheral wallduring normal centrifugal separating action forming a closure for theouter peripheries of said chambers, with said opening opposite saidspace, the width of said space being substantially equal to the Width ofsaid discharge opening, and means for effecting relative axial movementof said peripheral wall and said plates to uncover the outer periphery'of one of said chambers and position the discharge opening opposite theother chamber, whereby the separated solids from said chambers will bedischarged under centrifugal action.

5. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a peripheral wall with a discharge opening forsolids in said wall intermediate the ends thereof, a cylinder, aplurality of circular plates within said drum and connected to saidcylinder and extending transversely with respect to the axis of the drumand in spaced relationship to form a pair of separating chambers and aninterposed space, said peripheral wall during normal centrifugalseparating action forming a closure for the outer peripheries of saidchambers, with said opening opposite said space, a piston in saidcylinder and connected to said peripheral wall, means for supplyingmotive fluid selectively to either side of said piston to effectrelative axial movement of said wall and said plates, touncover theouter periphery of one of said chambers and position the dischargeopening opposite the other chamber.

6. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a peripheral wall provided with a dischargeopening in said wall intermediate the ends thereof, a cylinder mountedcoaxially with said drum, a plurality of circular plates Within saiddrum, connected to said cylinder, extending transversely with respect tothe axis of the drum, and in spaced relationship to form a pair ofseparating chambers and an intermediate space, said peripheral wallduring normal centrifugal separating action forming a closure for theouter peripheries of said chambers, with said opening opposite saidspace, a piston in said cylinder connected to said peripheral wall, andmeans for supplying motive fluid selectively to either side of saidpiston to move said piston in said cylinder, and move said peripheralwall to uncoverthe outer periphery of one of said chambers and positionthe discharge opening opposite the other chamber, whereby the separatedsolids from said chambers will be discharged under centrifugal action.

7. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a peripheral wall provided with a dischargeopening intermediate the ends thereof, means Within said drum forming apair of spaced annu-A lar chambers encircling the axis of said drum, andencircled by said drum, and including perforated wall members defining aspace between said chambers, and a casing encircling said drum and`having radially inwardly extending webs forming a. trough opposite saiddischarge open- 111g.

8. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a peripheral wall, means including circularplates for forming annular separating chambers coaxial with said drumand closed on the outer periphery by said peripheralfall of said drum,means for effecting relative axial movement of said peripheral wall andsaid circular plates, and including a cylinder mounted concentricallywith said drum, and a reciprocating piston in said cylinder, and meansfor preventing any fluid which may escape from said cylinder from owinginto said separating chambers.

, 9. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from` liquid,including .a rotatable drum having a peripheral wall with a dischargeoutlet intermediate the ends thereof, a plurality of circular, axiallyspaced, transversely disposed plates encircledV by said peripheral wall,and rotatable therewith, said plates and said peripheral.

wall defining a pair of separating chambers and an intermediate annularspace, the plates forming the opposite walls of said space beingperforated to permit the passage of liquid therethrough from theseparating chambers, and means for closing the inner periphery of saidspace, said circular plates and said peripheral wall being relativelyshiftable axially to centrifugal separating position with saidperipheral wall forming a closure for the outer peripheries of saidchambers, and with said outlet opposite said space or to dischargingposition, With the periphery of one of said chambers uncovered and saiddischarge outlet registering with the other chamber.

10. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum having a peripheral wall with a discharge outlet forsolids in said wall intermediate the ends thereof, a plurality ofcircular walls encircled by said peripheral wall, means for supportingsaid circular walls transversely to the axis of the drum and in spacedrelationship to form with said peripheral Wall a pair of separatingchambers and an intermediate space, said peripheral Wall forming aclosure for the outer peripheries of said chambers during centrifugalseparating action, and means including a cylinder coaxial with saiddrum, and a piston in said cylinder for effecting relative axialmovement of said circular walls and said drum to uncover the outerperiphery of one of said chambers and position the discharge outletopposite the other chamber. 11. A centrifugal machine for separatingsolid substances vfrom liquid, including a drum open at one end andhaving a perforated cylindrical peripheral wall and a discharge outletintermediate the ends of said wall, a plurality of circular plates,means for supporting said plates within said drum transversely withrespect to the axis of said drum and in spaced relationship to form apair of separating chambers and an interposed space, said peripheralWall during centrifugal separating action forming perforated closuresfor the outer peripheries of said chambers with said outlet oppositesaid space, a collecting ring connected to said peripheral wall,encircling the same and flaring. from the ends thereof towards itsintermediate section, said collecting ring having a discharge openingopposite said discharge outlet, and means for effecting relative axialmovement of said plates and said drum to uncover the outer periphery ofone of said chambers and position the discharge outlet opposite theother chamber.

12. A centrifugal machine for separating solid substances from liquid,including a drum open at one end and having a perforated cylindricalperipheral wall and a discharge outlet intermediate the ends of saidwall, a plurality of circular plates, means for supporting said plateswithin said drum transversely with respect to the axis of said drum andin spaced relationship to form a pair of separating chambers and aninterposed space, said peripheral wall during centrifugal separatingaction forming perforated closures for the outer peripheries of saidchambers with said outlet opposite said space, a collecting ringconnected to said peripheral wall, encircling the same and flaringradially outwardly from the ends thereof towards its intermediatesection, said ring having a discharge opening at said section oppositesaid discharge outlet, a casing encircling said collecting ring andforming a. trough opposite said discharge opening, and means foreffecting relative axial movement of said plates and said drum touncover the outer periphery of one of said chambers and position thedischarge outlet opposite the other chamber.

GUsrAv m man.

